


Like Mother, Like Daughter

by queen_scribbles



Category: Pillars of Eternity
Genre: Backstory, Gen, Mother-Daughter Relationship, pre-game scene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-13
Updated: 2019-06-13
Packaged: 2020-05-02 14:24:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,551
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19200682
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/queen_scribbles/pseuds/queen_scribbles
Summary: Adela loved her mother.She really, truly did. Mama was the one who sparked her love for learning, fed her near-limitless curiosity, the one who listened the longest when Adela started rambling about some new discovery(even if their interests differed). They had a bond, a connection through their scholarly pursuits.None of that made the words ‘Clean your room’ any more fun to hear.





	Like Mother, Like Daughter

**Author's Note:**

> For Prompt fill 92: Mother. I was oh so very tempted by a variety of combos, but in the end went with Adi and her mama. Magda’s cool, and Adi takes after her a lot.

 

Adela loved her mother.

She really, truly did. Mama was the one who sparked her love for learning, fed her near-limitless curiosity, the one who listened the longest when Adela started rambling about some new discovery(even if their interests differed). They had a bond, a connection through their scholarly pursuits.

None of that made the words  _‘Clean your room’_ any more fun to hear.

“This place is a fire waiting to happen,” Mama said, with pointed glances at the books and scrolls piled on the floor, desk, shelves, even Adela’s bed. “One tipped candle and the whole house is in danger, dear,” she added with a gentle laugh. “Please try to wrangle your hoard into place on the bookshelves. Maybe a few on the desk.”

“Yes, Mama,” Adela nodded, swallowing a protest about how it was more comfortable reading in bed or the floor was best for spreading out large projects for comparison. She didn’t even know where she was going to _start_ ; the mess of reading materials had admittedly gotten out of hand.

Mama smiled and reached down to smooth back Adela’s hair before tipping her chin up. “I know exactly how overwhelming this sort of project can seem. Would you like some help?”

She nodded again, sighing with relief. “Yes, please.”

Mama chuckled. “Let me go check on the boys. If they’re both still napping, I’ll give you a hand. Start thinking about what you want to tackle first while you wait, hm?”

Adela did just that; deciding that getting the shelves organized was most important if that’s where everything was supposed to go. Once that was settled in her mind, she found herself too impatient to wait for Mama and set to work on her own. She did her work with such gusto, she was halfway through the first set of shelves before Mama made it back to her room. Unfortunately her plan meant making the room messier before she could make it neater; it would be much easier to get all the books in their proper place if she essentially started from scratch.

She saw the look in Mama’s eyes, the heartbeat where she almost commented on the increased disarray, before smiling in understanding of her daughter’s plan. “Good thinking, Adi. This way will save you from shifting shelves back and forth as you put things away.”

“Exactly!” Adela said cheerfully, hopping down from her step stool. “The stuff that’s out is so disparate, both alphabetically and topically, I figure it’s better to get it sorted out on the floor. Then I can put it all away in one go.”

“That’s my girl,” Mama said proudly. She pushed her spectacles up to rest atop her head. “How would you like me to help?”

“Um...” Adela bit her lip in thought a moment. “You can work on the scrolls.” They were the easiest part of this mess, and it wouldn’t have felt right to give Mama the harder job. Both because she was _Mama_ and she spent so many nights up late, rocking Zac through another fit of colic. “Collect the ones you can find, organize them by... topic, I guess, is better for scrolls, then put them in the slots.” She gestured toward the standing rack on her desk/ She didn’t have nearly as many scrolls as books, and most of those were borrowed, so it was best to keep them apart, somewhat.

Mama nodded and started gathering scrolls. Most were already on the desk--or the floor nearby--just haphazardly piled, but a few had wound up part of her reading last night so were on the bed.

“What are you working on right now?” Mama asked as she gave each scroll a cursory glance to figure out how to sort it.

“Oh, the paper for Master Izel about the initial Aedyran expansion or colonization. I’m still trying to decide which sounds more neutral,” she admitted. “I don’t want to sound biased.”

“If that’s what you’re working on, then this is out of place,” Mama said, handing over a--frustratingly thin--book on the explorers of the Deadfire. “I haven’t seen that one before; is it another Lottie book?”

Adela nodded and scanned one of her book stacks to find where the slim volume belonged. “Yeah. She knows I’m trying to get my hands on anything that mentions Ilhana Guiserre, an’ she’s in this book..” She made a face. “Not nearly as much as I would _like,_ but at least it was new information. Some more details about her attempt to find Ukaizo.”

“Mm...” The next scroll Mama found earned Adela a borderline reproachful look that would have been far more intimidating over the rims of her spectacles, but still did the trick. “Adela, what’s this?”

_Oops._ She’d forgotten she still had that one. “Just a short treatise on some... creative uses for a couple of Arkemyr’s spells.”

“Didn’t we agree you would wait until you were sixteen to learn any of Arkemyr’s contributions to the wizarding arts?” Mama’s tone was still lightly scolding, with a note of wry humor underneath. So she wasn’t in big trouble just yet.

“Yes, but I wasn’t trying to _learn_ them, Mama, just curious how the author manipulated the existing spell energy for a different purpose than originally intended. ‘Specially with Arkemyr’s spells,” Adela explained, playing with her braid. “‘M actually done with it, just forgot to take it back.”

Mama chuckled as she started rolling up the scroll. “You are going to make an amazing wizard when you finish your studies, dove. And a top-notch scholar to boot. Do you really think you’ll remember these tricks when you start learning Arkemyr’s spells?” she asked, setting the scroll on the desk.

Adela squinted and bit her lip, wanting ti give an honest, thought-out answer.  “Probably? I still remember things from when I was ten an’ twelve. So it probably won’t get pushed out in just two years.” She shrugged. “And if it does, I’ll learn it again. If I want to. I’m not sure how many of Arkemyr’s spells I’ll actually _care_ about; I just was curious and didn’t wanna wait to read that.”

Mama smiled as she looked through the tousled covers on Adela’s bed for any straggler scrolls. “I understand that urge all too well.” She laid the blanket back, mostly neat, when her search was done. “One of the texts I needed for my most recent study was out from the library and I nearly burst from impatience waiting for it to come back so I could have it. I just want to be sure you’re pacing yourself, Adi. Not reading anything you can’t handle.”

“I am,” Adela promised. “Pacing myself, I mean.” It was mostly--usually--true. But there was so much to learn. “What was this last study about? You seemed more invested than the few before it.”

The change of subject worked, and they spent the remainder of their time chatting about various research they’d done; whether for pleasure or purpose, and ranking the enjoyment of the latter. It made things go much faster, and before Adela knew it, they were halfway through shelving the freshly sorted books--aside from the volume on Readceran culture, that went by her bed--when Sirra poked her head in to let Mama know Zac was awake.

“I can finish by myself,” Adela piped up. “He’s probably real hungry by now, an’ it is my room. I should be the one doing most of the work, anyway.”

Mama smiled again and kissed the top of her head. “You’re a good girl, my dove. Once you’re done in here and I’ve settled your brother, perhaps we’ll have time to return that scroll and get you some new recreational reading, hm?”

She brightened and nodded. “That would be great, Mama. Thank you!” School reading on such an interesting topic as a another country’s culture was all well and good, but something new that was purely for fun would be fabulous. She hoped Zac calmed down fast, and Isi was in a good mood when he woke up. “Oh! And thank you, Sirra,” she amended, flashing a smile at her sister, who would likely wind up watching the boys(and Tia) if she and Mama did go to the library.

“Happy to help,” Sirra said with a cheerful shrug. “And Teinan was planning to visit after dinner, maybe I can rope him into helping if you two lose all track of time.”

“If he likes you much as I think he does, that shouldn’t be a problem,” Adela teased, batting her eyelashes playfully from halfway up the bookshelf.

Sirra rolled her eyes, but her ears twitched back in exasperation. “ _Adi._...”

“Adela, don’t tease your sister. Especially since she’s helping,” Mama admonished.

“Sorry, Sir,” Adela said contritely as she climbed down.

“Eh.” Sirra smirked. “I’ll getcha back when you’re older and it’s your turn to have fellas calling on _you_.”

“Sounds fair.” Also, far enough off, Sirra would probably forget her threat long before it happened. “Now, lemme finish so Mama and I can go to the library.”

Sirra ducked out, and Mama was smiling as she followed. Of course she knew what a motivation ‘more books’ would be for her daughter. Adela was, after all, a lot like her mother.


End file.
